japanese culture
5 Books Lovers of Japan Need to Read
The following list of books are must reads for those who are interested in Japanese culture, anime, and manga. This list focuses on important events and sections of Japanese culture that anime doesn’t examine. Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II by Yuki Tanaka Tanaka examines little-discussed crimes against humanity Japan did against…
The Three Legends of Lake Biwa
These three stories combine to create a single legend. I kept the original 1918 spellings and grammar. I find them charming and interesting examples of how language can change. Language changes quite a bit over the course of a century. In any case, I hope you enjoy these stories. While up fishing on Lake Biwa,…
Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton
The other day I was at a library for a teen mental health conference. As I usually do, I took the lunch break for some alone time. Conferences have far too much group work and socialness! After wandering around town, I returned to the library and found the book Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton. I’ve…
Considering Bias
I’m a biased writer. There isn’t any other kind, but bias is something we often don’t think about. As part of information literacy, the ability to discover, judge, and use information, awareness of bias plays an important role. Without this awareness, you are blind. Let’s examine the role of bias in how we watch…
Gender Roles of Women in Modern Japan
I wrote this article on June 22, 2014. Since then, Japanese women have seen some changes in their status in Japanese society. Their efforts to break through traditional gender roles has taken several decades to get to their current point. In fact, more Japanese women work today than American women. But Japan’s traditional female roles…
Is Being an Otaku Cultural Appropriation?
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate borrowing from another culture. Usually, it happens with a culture that has been oppressed in some way. Think about the Native American cultures in North America as an example. But cultural appropriation has a soft line. It’s hard to know when the line of admiration and appropriation is crossed…
